Murray holds first markup as Chair as Committee returns to regular order to write and pass the strongest possible funding bills

Committee approves Military Construction-VA and Agriculture-FDA bills in 28-0 votes

ICYMI: Senators Murray and Collins Issue Statement After First Full Committee Markup in Two Years, Commit to Senate’s Voice Being Heard in Appropriations Process – MORE HERE

Washington, D.C. – Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations Committee met for its first full committee markup this Congress and approved the fiscal year 2024 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appropriations bills, as well as subcommittee allocations for each of the twelve subcommittees. 

“I know members on both sides of the aisle, including myself, are concerned about the really challenging toplines in the debt ceiling agreement that we must now work with. This is not an agreement that I would have made—and as I said on the floor when the Senate considered the legislation—I am worried about how it will limit our ability to make necessary investments in our country’s future,” said Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA). “But we have a critical job to do as appropriators and as Members of Congress—and I am determined to get it done, and I know Vice Chair Collins is, too.”

“We have got to forge ahead and work together to write and pass the strongest possible bills and find solutions to problems people are facing. And I know my colleagues up and down this dais share that commitment,” continued Chair Murray. “At every stage of this process, I am going to be fighting to protect key investments in families across the country and in our country’s future. And I am going to ensure we adhere to the deal that President Biden and Speaker McCarthy negotiated and Congress passed just a few weeks ago. That includes making full use of all the resources in the agreement, honoring its terms, and working at every step of the way to lessen the blow of the cuts and caps.”

“The task of funding our government is never an easy one—and this year, these limits will make it more difficult. But I am determined to keep this process moving here in the Senate in an orderly and timely way and to protect key investments that make a world of difference in the lives of working people—in the lives of kids and families everywhere. And I know my colleagues share that commitment,” continued Chair Senator Murray.

Chair Murray also announced that on July 13, the full Committee will convene again to markup the fiscal year 2024 Legislative Branch; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; and Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bills.

Chair Murray’s full opening remarks are available HERE.

In a 28-0 vote, the Committee approved the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.

The Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Act fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and related agencies $135.3 billion in non-defense discretionary funding, as well as $161.7 billion in mandatory funding, to fulfill our nation’s obligations to our veterans. The bill further provides advance appropriations for our veterans in fiscal year 2025, including $112.6 billion for veterans’ medical care and $193 billion for veterans benefits. The bill also includes $19.1 billion in defense spending for military construction and family housing this year—an increase of $70 million over fiscal year 2023—to upgrade and modernize critical infrastructure and support military families. The bill:

• Keeps our sacred promise to veterans by fully funding veterans’ medical care and benefits and fully funding VA programs, including by:
  • Delivering a $2.3 billion increase in funding to get veterans the mental health care they deserve.
  • Providing $557 million more to strengthen VA’s caregiver program and reach more families, $439 million more to support women veterans’ health care, and $23 million to expand the Child Care Pilot Program to eliminate barriers for veterans in need of child care while attending medical appointments.
  • Boosting our investments in VA facilities to deliver better care for veterans across the country.
  • Investing $938 million in VA Medical and Prosthetic Research to advance efforts related to Traumatic Brain Injury, PFAS exposure, and more.
• Strengthens our national security by delivering a historic funding level to modernize critical military infrastructure and build our presence in key regions around the world, including by:
  • Boosting funding to support critical maintenance projects, upgrade our shipyards, and improve the resiliency of our bases and military infrastructure, particularly in the face climate-driven threats.
  • Providing more than $1.8 billion in funding for projects in the Indo-Pacific Command to support the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, delivering $300 million for projects to support the European Deterrence Initiative, and fully funding the U.S. commitment to support the NATO Security Investment Program.
• Supports our servicemembers and military families, including by:
  • Delivering new resources to construct new family housing, maintain and upgrade existing units, and strengthen oversight of privatized housing.
  • Increasing funding for child development centers to expand access to child care for military families.
  • Providing additional funding to address the threat posed by PFAS and to support environmental remediation at BRAC installations.

“We have an obligation to take care of our veterans when they come home—and a responsibility to ensure we have the world-class military infrastructure we need to support our servicemembers and keep our nation safe. Despite working under challenging circumstances, we’ve put together a strong, bipartisan bill to fund VA and military construction,” said Senator Murray, Chair of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. “This bill will help construct everything from housing to child care centers for our servicemembers and military families, make critical upgrades to installations, and strengthen our presence in key regions around the world. It also ensures we keep our promises to the men and women who have served our country by fully funding VA and veterans’ medical care and benefits. Our legislation will increase funding for mental health and suicide prevention programs for veterans, get women veterans the medical care they need, support the expansion of the caregivers program, and so much more.”

A full summary of the bill is available HERE.

Chair Murray’s remarks on the bill are available HERE.

Bill text, as amended, is available HERE.

The bill report, as amended, is available HERE.

Adopted amendments are available HERE.

Congressionally Directed Spending projects included in the bill are available HERE.

In a 28-0 vote, the Committee approved the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill.

The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill provides $25.993 billion in funding. The bill:

• Supports kids and families by fully funding nutrition assistance programs and boosting funding for WICto get more women, infants, and children the nutrition they need.
  • Increases WIC funding by $615 million to ensure over 6 million women, infants, and children can get the nutrition they need.
  • Fully funds SNAP to serve an estimated 42 million Americans each month—and includes no new restrictions on eligibility.
  • Fully funds Child Nutrition Programs to ensure schools can continue serving healthy meals to millions of kids nationwide.

• Invests in agricultural research with new funding to support farmers and ranchers, particularly as they continue to respond to a changing climate.
• Protects the safety of America’s food supply and helps keep American families healthy and safe by delivering new resources for FDA and the Food Safety and Inspection Service to fulfill their critical missions.

“We can do good work for the American people when we push partisan politics aside and focus on solutions for the real challenges facing families today,” said Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chair of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. “From supporting American farmers and ranchers, protecting our food supply, and promoting the health and well-being of our children, this bill delivers. I am especially proud that we were able to fully fund WIC, which will ensure more women, infants, and children will receive the nutrition they need. Make no mistake—we had to make tough decisions to get this funding bill where it needed to be. But I am pleased to have found common ground on legislation that will grow our economy and put families in New Mexico and across the country first.” 
 
“At the most basic level: we can’t have strong communities if families can’t put food on the table or kids go hungry—that’s as important as it is obvious. So we have put forward a serious, bipartisan bill that will help prevent families from going hungry and support farmers all across the country. I’m proud that—despite the constraints we are working with—here in the Senate, we are fully funding nutrition programs and boosting funding for WIC, critical agricultural research, and more,” said Senator Murray. “This bill also recognizes the direct connection between FDA having the resources it needs and the health and safety of American families. Every time families back in Washington state go to the grocery store, fill a prescription, or rely on a medical device, they’re really putting their trust in FDA and their experts to uphold the gold standard of safety and effectiveness. This legislation will help ensure FDA can meet its mission on behalf of the American people and will for the first time ever fund FDA’s new ability to regulate cosmetics and protect consumers.”

A full summary of the bill is available HERE.

Chair Heinrich’s remarks on the bill are available HERE.

Bill text, as amended, is available HERE.

The bill report, as amended, is available HERE.

Adopted amendments are available HERE.

Congressionally Directed Spending projects included in the bill are available HERE.

In a 15-13 vote, the Committee approved 302(b) subcommittee allocations.

Consistent with the Fiscal Responsibility Act negotiated by President Biden and Speaker McCarthy and passed by Congress, the fiscal year 2024 allocations total $886.3 billion in defense funding and $703.7 billion in non-defense funding for a total of $1.59 trillion.

Importantly, when crafting the Fiscal Responsibility Act, President Biden and Speaker McCarthy also agreed to a series of adjustments—like rescissions, changes in mandatory programs, and emergencies, which are used in appropriations every year. These adjustments will provide additional resources for critical programs and needs—but they are not reflected in the 302(b) allocations approved out of Committee today. Instead, these adjustments will be reflected as subcommittees report their bills.

Full subcommittee allocations as approved by the Committee are available HERE.

Chair Murray’s remarks on the 302(b) allocations are available HERE.

Original source can be found here